The trade deadline came and went, and no moves were made by the New Jersey Devils. The silence is deafening, and it’s likely the last impression from the general manager (GM) Tom Fitzgerald. It’s been a bad run for the GM who had a good thing going, yet somehow the Devils feel furthest from contention than they’ve been in years.
Related: Should New Jersey Devils follow NHL insider's Maple Leafs trade proposal?
The Hughes SNAFU
It’s easy to say that things started with the Luke Hughes saga. It frankly shouldn’t have become a saga, yet that’s what happened as Fitzgerald waited and let the young defenseman put him in a bind. It went on too long and already put the Devils in a tough spot heading into the season.
The surprise, honestly, is that this didn’t slow the Devils down at the start. They came out of the gate with a strong start, and the Hughes deal looked like no big deal at all. It was the sign that Fitzgerald was going to find a way to take a sure thing and mess it up.
The summer was also when Fitzgerald tried to trade Dougie Hamilton to the San Jose Sharks. The fans found out about this afterwards but it shows the disconnect he had with the players and the message he was sending. When he handed out no-trade clauses, he was hoping that someday, the players would be willing to move them. Now, he’s told the team that he wants players gone but they are still stuck around, and it’s left them a mess.
The Quiet Deadline Stands Out
The Devils needed a shake-up, considering how this season has gone. Things have gotten stale with the same group, and the Devils needed to bring in new players, even if they weren’t upgrades per se. It explains why Simon Nemec was on the trade block as a talented defenseman but someone who could bring in a player who changes the dynamics of the forward unit.
For More: Should New Jersey Devils follow NHL insider's Maple Leafs trade proposal?
The Devils needed at least one trade and never got it. It leaves them in a worse spot. This season is a lost cause, and there’s a good chance next season is as well. If the Devils need to clean up the mess, can they trust Fitzgerald, based on his recent run, to do so? The answer is no.
Where The Devils Go From Here
The Devils need a retool and haven’t taken the right steps to do so. With the teams in their division (aside from the New York Rangers) getting better, they’ve been stuck, and it’s made them a bottom-feeder. It’s why the next few weeks will be interesting for Fitzgerald, or at least his successor.
Related: New Jersey Devils lose center to division rival during NHL Trade Deadline
That’s why the big thing for the Devils is to move on from Fitzgerald. The trade deadline showed that he shouldn’t be trusted as the GM. He failed to take this team to the next level when he had the chance to do so, and now he’s managed to have the team take big steps back.